Sometimes articulating what it is you love about a band's music can, to an extent, damage the magic the music in question has on you. Sometimes. So, as a Darkthrone fanboy, it feels like I should approach all this delicately.

Their previous four full lengths seem to have, in general, successfully split their fanbase in two. On one side you've got the fans of their old kvlt stuff exclusively, the "the fuck is this wannabe 80s punk shit" people, and on the other you have the "if you don't like this, you don't like real metal, so FOAD" types. I lean toward the latter side. Their newer stuff teems and sloshes with the kind of inebriated energy I love most from heavy music. Their older stuff? Some of it kinda did, some of it didn't at all.

So, for a clear disclaimer, if you're a fan of ONLY their old albums*, you probably won't enjoy this one**. In fact, there's probably less black metal here than ever before on their albums.

That said, The Underground Resistance is different enough for at least some of those put off by their newer stuff to come back to the Darkthrone party***. It all sounds slightly more carefully planned than their previous four discs. It's a bit less brash and sounds a bit more thoughtfully produced. It's still got the Fenriz-brand, church of real metal, FOAD attitude and ethos to it, but it's been toned down. Their four discs directly preceding this one really emphasize their reckless sonic brushstrokes—background studio sounds, feedback noises, etc.--this album is more tightly put together.

Despite some hideous attempts at harmonizing on "The Ones You Left Behind," the vocals are, in general, better and more ranged than in the past (especially from Fenriz on "Leave No Cross Unturned," where, according to him on some interview on one of our immeasurably inferior competitors' websites, he said he channels Geoff Tate circa 1984 more than King Diamond, which he does well), the riffs and tunes are catchier than ever (check out the epic and surprisingly moving "Valkyrie"), and the drumming is as energetic as before. Technically, they're sounding sharper than they have in years. Technically.

I just don't know if I like the more taut, less crusty aesthetic of it all quite as much--we got a taste of it on Circle The Wagons, but the balance on that album is more to my liking.

Nevertheless, that's fully a matter of tweaking and taste and, when all's said and done here, this is yet another damn fine album from them****. Not to be missed stuff.

I like and love some of the old albums, and I like and love some of the new ones, but I don't like this. Once you've gotten used to the nice meaty and ballsy sound all I was left with was some flat and uninteresting songwriting. The attitude of black metal, and recently punk are all missing from this.

I like the new album, for the most part. It felt like they were taking the piss out of the underground metal aesthetic, rather than pay homage to it. Either that, or "The Ones You Left Behind"'s vocal harmonies really were genuinely horrid and not done ironically.

8.3 is about accurate. I very much enjoyed it, loved that they seem to be taking the piss, and I enjoyed the songwriting and the riff lexicon. It's filled to the brim with great riffing really, and just swagger everywhere. It's not great, but I think I enjoy it as much or more than any of their immediate preceding records (all of which are also good).

These guys have never been one of my favourite favourites but I kind of liked this album. Plenty of Black-ish and Crusty riffage, the opener combines them pretty much perfectly.

Valkyrie unaccountably reminded me of Helloween's How Many Tears but that was OK somehow. The middle of the album gets that Black / Crust mix working pretty well, some nice harmonies and dissonances here and there and it's a nice clear production to be sure.

Overall I like the last track best, I thought it's got a very old school thrash vibe to it, from the cheesy fucking title ("Leave No Cross Unturned" for fuck sake - well, it made me smile) to the super clean bass high up in the mix.

Bit dull at times but kinda cute and if someone had never heard Darkthrone I wouldn't tell them to avoid this one.

I like the new album, for the most part. It felt like they were taking the piss out of the underground metal aesthetic, rather than pay homage to it. Either that, or "The Ones You Left Behind"'s vocal harmonies really were genuinely horrid and not done ironically.

Definitely more a case of homage gone wrong with the vox in "The Ones," not them poking fun at old metal. And they always seem to make up for that kind of thing rapidly enough, the second part of that song has one of the catchiest, most grab the sky's tits epic riffs on the album. Love that riff.

I tried this and the previous album and it just didn't click. But I tend to give albums at least three spins before giving up, so in another week or two I'll probably give it another go.
Good review too man, there's nothing wrong with sticking true to a band you love.

Definitely more a case of homage gone wrong with the vox in "The Ones," not them poking fun at old metal.

Nope, homage hasn't gone wrong. Remember it is NOT a homage to Mercyful Fate/King Diamond there, but to Agent Steel and Exciter. And it is totaally Agent Steel Exciter mix you hear there during the first half of the song, and totally NOT MF/KD

Definitely their strongest album of late. I really dig the diverse textures on this album. The boys blend elements of thrash, punk, doom, and viking metal in a sort of NWOBHM blender. The result is a deliciously metal platter squarely of the old-school. Great stuff.

Nope, homage hasn't gone wrong. Remember it is NOT a homage to Mercyful Fate/King Diamond there, but to Agent Steel and Exciter. And it is totaally Agent Steel Exciter mix you hear there during the first half of the song, and totally NOT MF/KD

I just meant "gone wrong" in that I don't like they way it sounds, not that it's MFish.

Nope, homage hasn't gone wrong. Remember it is NOT a homage to Mercyful Fate/King Diamond there, but to Agent Steel and Exciter. And it is totaally Agent Steel Exciter mix you hear there during the first half of the song, and totally NOT MF/KD

I just meant "gone wrong" in that I don't like they way it sounds, not that it's MFish.

I know you don't mean it like it sounds like whatever, I however do you think you meant that it sounds off-key when in fact it isn't off-key

here to make it extremely easy for you
Especially pay close attention to the vocals in the chorus

Know Agents of Steel, tasty, tasty song.

Same tastiness goes for the other one. (Another reason Darkthrone kicks ass is getting introduced to some of the bands they're influenced by.)

As for their connection to "The Ones" though, I still don't hear much of them vox-wise. Hear them on "Leave No Cross Unturned," sure, but for the former it just sounds more like what Fenriz was doing in Isengard to me...

Same tastiness goes for the other one. (Another reason Darkthrone kicks ass is getting introduced to some of the bands they're influenced by.)

As for their connection to "The Ones" though, I still don't hear much of them vox-wise. Hear them on "Leave No Cross Unturned," sure, but for the former it just sounds more like what Fenriz was doing in Isengard to me...

That's my metal knowledge for you, "Fenriz sounds like Fenriz."

Apparently I am totally losing it and have been reading your posts and review here wrong for days, because somehow I was of the impression the entire time that you were talking about 'Leave No Cross Unturned' instead of 'The Ones'

I like the raw and catchy feeling on this, many points are pure unadulterated headbang territory. there are times when i feel it is rather trying to sound outdated, but judging from the interviews, it seems this may have been the entire point. Good release when listened to objectively without expecting anything mind blowing or groundbreaking. right, ima go listen to some black metal now....